He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2000 NFL draft.

Porter attended Coolidge High School in Washington D.C., and was a star in football, basketball, baseball, and track.

As a freshman, he saw action as a free safety in the first five games and filled in as the emergency quarterback against Rutgers, then finished the second half of the season as a wide receiver.

However, the Raiders finished the season 5–11 and veteran quarterback Rich Gannon retired after suffering a serious neck injury.

With Jerry Rice's retirement after the 2004 season, it looked as if Porter would be new quarterback Kerry Collins' primary receiver.

Entering the 2006 season, Porter publicly voiced his dissatisfaction with newly hired head coach Art Shell, and during training camp, demanded to be traded.

[6] During his suspension, Porter was reportedly seen "laughing and pumping his fist" on the sidelines when teammate Aaron Brooks was sacked for the 7th time by the San Diego Chargers.

[10] He dressed for and played in his first game of 2006 on October 29 – a Raiders home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers – during which he recorded one catch for 19 yards.

[11] With Moss traded to the New England Patriots and Art Shell fired, Porter became the primary receiver on the Raiders in 2007.